Melissa Wyatt once gave me some kick-butt advice that I still follow. She suggests making the following format changes to a rough draft before printing it out to read:
Format Changes for Printed Manuscript
- Switch the font to Garamond, or a serif font that’s more “open” than TNR.
- Single space the entire manuscript.
- Move the side margins in one inch each and the top and bottom margins in one and a half inches.
- Adjust the paragraph indent to two or three spaces instead of five.
By doing this, your story will look more like a “real book,” rather than a manuscript, and it’s amazing you differently it reads in this format! Try it once!
Thanks, Melissa!
I also was able to attend the launch party for Paula Chase Hyman on Saturday night to celebrate the release of her book, SO NOT THE DRAMA! Bob and I had a fantastic time, and it was so cool meeting Paula, a fellow member of The Class of 2k7. More details–and pictures–will be coming tomorrow!
Have a fantastic week!
